One comment that I couldn’t believe got 467 votes in eight hours stated the following:

Religious people always say that atheists lack morality, and yet I have never thrown anyone to their deaths.

Now I’m honestly amazed that this comment go so much votes. It show that there are at least 467 people out there who think this statement is profound (it is more actually, when one thinks that this is the net amount of votes after people’s downvote). But for me this comment is sheer folly. And I’m only responding to this because of how many people liked it.

For the record, I do think some atheists can have specific instances where they do act out morally. But whether their own worldview makes such action meaningful or intelligible is another matter.

When some religious people “say that atheists lack morality,” I don’t think most of these people mean to say that religious people can not act out immorally. It does not follow from the premise.

I think Christians who are a subset of “religious people” would admit that people who professes to be religious can act out immorally given the Christian doctrine of total depravity and man’s sinfulness. What is that person’s religion and whether that “religiousness” is merely an external versus an internal spirituality, etc, are also factors that Christians would realize for people acting out immorally. Also according to Christian theology Christians on this side of eternity are still sinners and therefore we shouldn’t be surprised that even Christians can commit sins.

After saying “Religious people always say that atheists lack morality,” you think the atheist would interject something profound. But what does he go on to say? “and yet I have never thrown anyone to their deaths.” Read that again and let that sink in how narcissistic that is.

I’m sure when some religious people assert that “Religious people always say that atheists lack morality,” they are not saying that this means this guy in particular will be someone who would throw people to their deaths.

So this sole atheist hasn’t thrown someone to their death…but does that mean there’s not been any atheists who have done so before? I think this atheist is all about “me.”

The guy’s reasoning is quite convoluted. Most religious people probably could also say “I have never thrown anyone to their deaths.” I’m not a Muslim, but I must also say most Muslims can also say “I have never thrown anyone to their deaths.” So what does our atheist haven’t thrown anyone to their deaths prove–beyond him having not done the act?

Again think about how narcissistic this commentator is. In a post about some Muslim boat captain acting heinously by throwing Christians overboard to their deaths at sea…the guy had to take a swipe at religion in general and say “I have never thrown anyone to their deaths.”

I imagine most of the commentators on Reddit can also say “I have never thrown anyone to their deaths.”

If the atheist narrative is true with their claim that God or a personal being didn’t create us, that means ultimately we came about by impersonal forces that just happen to be; therefore we come about by chance. To make a point that Van Til makes, if we’re all products of chance then it makes everything else unintelligible or meaningless. Obviously our atheist friend thinks its wrong to throw people into the sea into their deaths. But his worldview assumes we’re the accumulation of countless accidents; beings that are nothing more than oversize germs where personhood is reduce to nothing more than moving electrons in carbon bags made up of a lot of Hydrogen dioxide, among other things. He can’t even begin to believe in human dignity according to his worldview. Tossing someone overboard is the equivalent of recycling contents made up of largely of water back into the water system for some tumble and roll. Morality is nothing more than sound, fury and chemical sparks.

I think the original quote might have been a misstatement of a statement we sometimes make that goes something like “The atheist has no objective solid ground for his/her morality.” I don’t know a single Christian who would say that atheists have no morality at all.

We all have a sense of morality based on ‘something’. The believer’s something is God. The nonbeliever has several possible reasons for his/her moral choices, but no single, immutable, source for what is right or wrong.

You’re onto something Dan. When I your comment, “I don’t know a single Christian who would say that atheists have no morality at all,” I thought to myself I don’t know any Christians who would make that statement either. Thanks for reading this and dropping by to share your thoughts

Yes, Christians have done some terrible things. We’re all hypocrites, which is why Jesus had to die for us. But I would argue that some of the worst atrocities committed in the name of Christ (Crusades, Inquisition) were perpetrated by nominal (c)hristians. One of our sons has also used the violence of ISIS terrorists to condemn all religions. He thinks he’s being very wise but I know spiritual questions are nagging him and this is his way of “coping.”

I try to avoid blogging on atheists, for one they are our mission field and I don’t want to alienate them before I address their concerns, for another I can easily slip into judging and Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians 5:12 to judge those inside the church, not outside

But I find their arguments so easy to perforate: fish, barrel, fire! and it makes no impact other than a deer in the headlights look on their faces and the truth of 2 Corinthians 4:4 comes slamming down on me like a hammer. It’s heart breaking

I know what you mean. Over the years I’ve blogged less about atheists and atheism for those reasons you mentioned. In addition I also prefer to talk to atheists in person one on one and I do that mostly on my weekly campus evangelism. I think its more personal, and I’m quicker on my feet than spending time writing out a long response. Also I think some of the atheists online are troll like, the more you refute the more the more they keep going and seem to not have understanding of the fallacies they committed. They just like the attention and the battle…but I think sometimes one on one can be helpful to kill their need to look good before some kind of audience, real or imagine. It’s better for me than a two dimensional internet debate, to seem them in flesh and blood softens my heart to move me to share them the Gospel as a dying sinner to another dying sinner. Thanks brother Doug for your comment!